Pumpkin Patch Visit

As soon as the calendar flipped to October I was itching to get our little family out to a pumpkin patch. I might have gone a tad bit overboard with researching various locations in the area and trying to determine the best place to go. We could go apple picking, get cider donuts, go on a hayride, look at farm animals, and of course get a pumpkin or three. 

My husband so kindly pointed out that we had a two-month old baby who couldn't go on a hayride, I would freak out if he got any type of animal poop/drool on him, and who was going to carry the apples and baby all over an orchard. 

Oh yeah, he's the practical one of the group.

In typical fashion I wanted to make a big deal out of our first trip to a pumpkin patch and my husband was so kind to remind me that there is an actual farm a mile from our house. A legit small farm that we go to for fresh corn in the summer time, where we purchase our pumpkins every year, and has been run by the same family for four generations. Basically the kind of business I love to support. Why go somewhere else? 

So we ran Sterling over first thing in the morning when the daylight was at its weakest point and we were there for less than 10 minutes. It wasn't crowded yet because hayrides didn't start until later in the morning and we almost had the place to ourselves. Which is really, really, really nice with a 2 month old. Although it was so quiet that we didn't see anyone else taking pictures and therefore there wasn't anyone to ask to get a photo of all three of us. 

We just didn't have room for mums in the car with the stroller taking up most of the trunk. 

But it was perfect. We got our pumpkins and our little guy slept the entire time. 

The best way to spread Christmas cheer

Is to decorate with as much gold metallic as possible!

And to blast the Classic Christmas radio station. You can keep the newer Christmas songs, but I'm more than happy to have Rosemary Clooney, Nat King Cole, Dean Martin, Burl Ives and the rest of the classic gang. Okay fine, I love me some Mariah Carey too, but in smaller doses.  Also, David Bowie and Bing Crosby's version of The Little Drummer Boy is my absolute favorite Christmas song. I stop whatever I'm doing when I hear it and I just sit down to soak it in. 

In my mind, I keep our Christmas decorations pretty minimal and mainly to our living room, but my husband disagrees with me. Our fireplace and mantle are in the man cave, which is outside the scope of my decorating territory rights. This year I did add a tiny bit of glitter to our dining room. I had purchased straight glitter wrapping paper and wrapped two large canvases with it. Honesty, after opening the roll it looked like a Ke$ha party came through my dining room. My intention was to hang candy canes and bring some glitter to the dining room. The hubs mentioned that if the candy canes fell down while we were at work that Jax would likely overdose on sugar. That's not a good thing, so the candy canes got nixed. I attached our Christmas cards to them instead, but I didn't get that done during daylight hours this weekend. 

The decorations also spilled over into our kitchen with the simplest addition in the world - my grandmother's antique ceramic Christmas tree. Now, I don't know if she would approve of it being stationed next to our bar area, but it looks perfect there and in front of the big window. Plus, it's the safest place in the house for such an antique item. 

The decorations and extra lights don't seem to bother Jax at all, as long as he can nap on the couch he's good to go. Jewels is even less impressed that I coordinated wrapping paper with the Christmas tree decorations. 

I can't wait to open presents tomorrow night. It's our little tradition that we open our gifts at home, play with the pups with wrapping paper, and then head out to NY. We're doing Christmas morning at my aunt and uncle's farm this year. So excited!

Holiday Party Metallics

Made in USA:  Blouse: Nanette Lepore (similar) // Blazer: thrifted Theory // Lips: L'Oreal 'Berry Persistent' // Nails: Essie 'steel-ling the scene' // 

Imported: Skirt: old Ann Taylor  // Shoes: Christian Louboutin (similar) // Clutch: old Rebecca Minkoff (made in USA option)  // Headband: old Anthropologie (similar) 

Confession time: when the hubs bought me these sparkly Christian Louboutin shoes I was shocked. Granted they made turning 30 a bit more fun, but they were so freaking expensive and so amazingly sparkly that I was worried I would never get a realistic cost-per-wear out of them.  However, I have worn them to fancy parties, mid-week date nights, work, weddings, weekend date nights, Halloween, and even a fancy baby shower (because nothing proclaims, "I'll stab you with these shoes if you ask me the state of my uterus" like a pair of sparkly Christian Louboutins at a baby shower).  In my defense, the pregnant mother-to-be told me to wear the shoes! Something about "swollen feet" and "living vicariously through your shoes." Who am I to deny a pregnant woman's demand!

Needless to say I was counting down the days to this year's round of holiday parties because those shoes were destined to make an appearance at every.single.party.  The hubs even had the audacity to tell me to wear them to his firm's holiday party. I gave him a "b*tch please" look and told him to wear his grey Allen Edmonds shoes so our shoes didn't clash.  Welcome to our world :)

Even though I'm officially "holiday partied out" this was my absolute favorite outfit of this year's holiday party season. Velvet - check. Chiffon - check. Taffeta - check. Mixing metals - check. Skirt with pockets - double check!

I'm just saying that this outfit will make a reappearance at a different holiday party next year. Oh who am I kidding - I wore this outfit twice last week! Once to a holiday party and then again for a date night with the hubs. Granted I wore it to date night so I could photo document it because I didn't even take one picture in it at the holiday party. Not even an Instagram selfie! Just keeping it real! The hubs didn't seem to mind because he thinks it is absolutely ridiculous when women freak out over wearing something more than once. Gotta get that cost-per-wear down to normal levels!

What's been your favorite outfit during this year's round of holiday parties? Would you consider wearing the same outfit to two different parties in the same season?

Simple Advent Wreath

When I was a kid both of my grandmother's would send my siblings and me an advent calendar every year. Truth be told I enjoyed them more for the candy than the message, but now that I'm an adult I look back and I wished I would have enjoyed those calendars for their meaning rather than their chocolate calories. 

This year for the Christmas season I wanted to put together a very simple advent wreath and that way I would have a few moments of reflection during the month. I wanted something simple, rustic, and slightly glam. I've been searching for traditional colored advent candles for months, but never found the appropriate sizes I wanted. Instead I used very simple metallic gold candles. You can criticize my candle selection all you want and I'll be fine with it. 

Supplies: Wood slab, 4 metallic candles, 1 white pillar candle, and pine needles (I initially wanted to wrap the candles with twine and decided afterwards that presented an additional fire risk). I purchased the wooden slab and candles at a craft store with coupons for less than $20. 

I picked a few pine tree limbs from the trees in my backyard and gently placed them in between the candles on the wooden slab to give the slight appearance of a traditional wreath. The pine also smells lovely! It almost makes me think I have a real tree in my living room. I might add more fresh pine every Sunday to keep the wreath looking fresh and to keep that fresh pine fragrance in the air.

I can't tell if I enjoy this wreath more in the afternoon sunlight or when it's lit on Sunday evenings. Either way I find it to be very peaceful and that was part of the desired intention. 

Simple and easy. The wreath took mere minutes to assemble, but it's impact has been far greater on my soul.  I honestly don't know why I didn't make this simple wreath years ago. 

If you're going to light an advent wreath please never leave the flame unattended! 

American Made Thanksgiving Gifts

1: Personalized Growler // 2: Linnea's Lights Pumpkin Candle // 3: Rablabs Garra Bottle Stopper // 4: Stonewall Kitchen Maple Pumpkin Butter // 5: Brooklyn Slate Cheese Board // 6: Greenies Pet Treats // 7: Pat Kim Designs Triangle Dinner Bell // 8: Epicureans Gourmet Cutting Board //

Just over two weeks away from one of my favorite holidays. Thanksgiving might be my all-time favorite food holiday. I eat a turkey sandwich every day for lunch, so clearly I'm loyal to turkey. My sister and I used to pick our seats at at the Thanksgiving table based on the proximity to a massive bowl of my grandma's mashed potatoes. My husband and brother actually confiscated an entire basket of my dad's homemade rolls one Thanksgiving. Thankfully, one of my uncles discovered their actions and the family was able to carbo load on some rolls.

I've always loved Thanksgiving. Watching the Macy's Day Parade on the tv while smelling the food cooking all morning. Then, the house was total chaos as all of my aunts, uncles, grandparents, and cousins gathered around the table to give thanks. And by table I mean the crazy contraption my dad would set up to seat all 20+ of us. Later when I was in college we'd rotate houses and head over to my uncle's farm. Absolutely nothing beats Thanksgiving dinner at a farmhouse. Football on tv just can't beat with the before dessert activity of throwing on a heavy coat and going outside to pet a horse, alpaca, cow, etc.

I vividly remember my first Thanksgiving away from my family. Initially I was sad to be away from my family, but thankfully I was spending the day with my new family. My in-laws have different traditions - they love the Westminster Dog Show and they introduced me to Black Friday  Shopping and now I couldn't imagine the day without watching cute pups on tv.

But I do remember that first Thanksgiving away. My biggest thought was, "what do we bring as a gift?" My hubs thought I was crazy, call me old fashioned, but if I'm going to someone's house and I'm not cooking something then I'm bringing a gift. If you find yourself in a pickle and need a gift then check out the ones above. They're all under $50 and each one is made in the USA.

If you want to come by my house this year you're more than welcomed to bring a personalized growler. You can never go wrong with beer! A filled one would be the perfect gift for Thanksgiving. Just don't drink and drive!

How about you - do you remember your first Thanksgiving away from your family? Have you had a Thanksgiving away? This year the hubs is mixing things up and will be cooking a turkey on the grill. I'm looking forward to not having to share an oven with him all morning.

Trick or Treat

I love Halloween!

The pumpkins have been carved.

The porch is decked out with witches and bats.

The pups have their orange and black gear ready to go.

I'm sporting a vampy, red nail polish. 

The candy has been purchased. Oh so much candy.

Flashback, I missed out on Halloween candy the first year the hubs and I were in our house. I had a work trip to New Orleans and while I did appreciate the Bourbon Street (catching a theme here???) atmosphere I definitely missed handing out candy to trick or treaters. 

Last year after just a few groups had come to our house I told the hubs, "we need more candy - we're almost out!" 

Turns out when a ballerina troupe of first timers comes to my porch, complete with video taking parental chaperones I went a bit over board on their candy allotment. My bad. 

This year the hubs bought 4x as much candy and hopefully I can control myself this year. Hopefully. I just love handing out candy to kids! I really don't want to dip into my backup supply of 100 calorie mixed nut, snack packs if I run out of candy. 

What are your Halloween plans this evening? 

Red, White, and Blue

Made in USA: 

Top: Venley by Youth Monument // Jeans: James Jeans (super old) // Shoes: Sbicca via Ideeli // Shades: Oakley "Sweet Spot" via RueLaLa // Nail Polish: Zoya's "Sooki" (red),  Essie's "Blanc" (white), Essie's "Set in Stones" (sparkle) 

The hubs and I had low-key plans to celebrate the fourth of July, but Wednesday afternoon our plans were thrown into a wreck when I came home from work and found myself face-to-face with an under the weather puppy.

Thursday morning I woke up, went for a run, and then headed out to find the hubs a brisket to grill since our plans changed and now we were staying at home.  Mission accomplished!

I know watching the fireworks in Baltimore would have been amazing from a friend's rooftop deck, but I was more than happy to celebrate America's birthday at home, in my USA made gear, and with a few beers in my tummy.  The hubs agreed and that way we didn't have to worry about finding a driver :)

Jax felt much better and the hubs and I felt better knowing he'd have almost constant human supervision for a long weekend. 

I hope you and yours had a happy and safe July 4th!  

Flag Day

Today is flag day. Support your country. Proudly wave the American flag. Thank a serviceman and be happy to live in a place that offers so many freedoms.  

American flag flying over Baltimore's Inner Harbor during Sailabration 2012. 

Pap Pap's casket flag. Full story here on why the hubs refused to put his grandfather's flag in an imported flag case and the start of my rational for buying American. 

A little girl gave me this flag right before the finish line of the Parks Marathon on September 11, 2011. All runners were encouraged to wave the American flag while running the last mile and across the finish line. 

If you're looking to purchase an American flag, check out USA Love List for a list of American flags made in America.  

30 Is the New Awesome

Necessary ingredients for an amazing birthday weekend: 

Bubbly and other tasty beverages.  

Shoes that make you feel like you can tackle the world. Yes, if I'm dumped on an island and can only take three possessions, I'm taking these heels with me. 

Best friends.

(Picture above stolen from DistrictSparkle's Instagram) 

Family.  

Funky decor and amazing food. 

And most importantly of all, love. There was a lot of love being thrown around the table Saturday night.  

I had such a great long weekend for my birthday.  My loving hubs organized a little dinner soiree for my birthday that included  family and friends. My aunt and sister came in for a few days and I've never laughed so hard in a vintage store or in Trader Joe's.  

Anyone have a recommendation for a good wrinkle-correction cream? I've laughed a lot in the last 30 years and I intend on laughing even more in the coming 70 years or so. I should probably invest in a good wrinkle cream, but at the same time I'm okay with having a few reminders of how much laughter I've enjoyed in my life. 

VDay Gifts for Him: Made in USA

1  /  2  /  3  /  4  /  5  /  6  /  7  /  8  /  9

Guess what: all of the above gifts are less than $150!  Actually, I intended this list to include all items under $100 each, but the Allen Edmond shoes were just too beautiful handsome to leave off the list.

There's something for just about everyone on this list or it's a great start list if these things aren't your guy's cup of tea.  If your guy doesn't like beer, but he is in touch with his inner geek, then I highly suggest anyone of the posters from Pop Chart Labs. Not only are they made in Brooklyn, but they're made with vegetable dyes so they are also vegan friendly.  I've purchased three separate posters from Pop Chart Labs and each of the guys who received the posters were thrilled.  Even my brother-in-law loved his diagram of movie monsters and he's a tough cookie to please.

Men's wallets are one of those items where a few dollars can be invested because unlike women, who tend to have hundreds multiple purses, men tend to only have a few wallets.  At least that's how the guys in my life operate.  The bifold wallet is a classic and the one above from J.W. Hulme. Co is an American staple and is actually guaranteed for life.  When was the last time you bought something and it came with a lifetime guarantee?

Side note: I've found soapstone whiskey stones that are made in the USA everywhere from Restoration Hardware, Crate & Barrel (linked above), to World Market.  I would have never in a million years guessed to look for things made in the USA at World Market, but I was pleasantly surprised to find they do carry quite a few things made domestically in the states.  However, I did find that searching for "Made in USA" yielded zero search results, so search for "made in United States."

Two things that are one this list that I think would work for almost every gift situation:  stationary and cologne.    In these days of texts, instagram, Facebook, etc there is still a need and desire for the handwritten word. The hubs could leave me a post-it note (also made in the USA) and I'd swoon.  If you want something a little fancier than a post-it note then head on over to Crane & Co. for a fantastic selection of stationary that is all made in the USA.  If paper products are a no-go, then go the smelly route and buy a new fragrance. I never even realized that many of today's colognes and perfumes are actually made in the USA.

Valentine's Day gifts for the guys - piece of cake.  Yes, guys love cake too! 

2013: Let's do this thing!

I went through my typical New Year's cynicism earlier this week and thought to myself, "what's the big deal? It's just a Tuesday."  Thankfully the negativity was due to sleep deprivation and after a strong cup of coffee I was void of negative thoughts. Well, mostly :)

Here it is, my to-do list for 2013.  Remember, I hate calling them resolutions.

Blog: 

• Post quality content 2-3 times a week.  Look, I'm never going to be able to post 4-5 times a week on any type of routine basis.  It's just not going to happen.  I have a few reoccurring post ideas up my sleeve and I hope they go over well.  
• Engage more with other bloggers.  I haven't really pursued connecting with the larger Baltimore and DC blogging community more than the occasional comment on someone's blog.  I'm hoping to switch that up this year. 

House:

• More decorating projects! I bought the hubs two pieces of artwork for Christmas and our very bare walls need quite a bit of assistance.  I'm making a list of all the smaller home projects I can tackle on my own since my hubs won't be able to lift his arm above his head for the next 5-6 months :( 
• Kitchen renovation.  This is happening in the fall. Period. End of story. I'm not talking about a little kitchen updating with refreshing some cabinets and adding a backsplash.  I mean taking the sucker down to the studs, demolishing a wall (non-load bearing!), moving plumbing, and starting from square one. Our house is going to feel like an almost brand new house once the kitchen is done because included in the kitchen renovation budget is putting in hardwood floors for not only the kitchen, but the dining room and living room. It's going to make a massive impact on our house and I can't wait.

Life:

• Fashion. Buy American made pieces.  I'm going to hate myself for saying this, but I have enough clothes.  Instead of buying a bunch of trendy pieces that will only last a season or two, I'm going to focus the limited resources I have this year on buying quality pieces made right here in the USA.  
• Run less, work out more.  Running is taking a back seat in my life.  I've only run a handful of times since my last marathon and I've realized that by training for longer races all the time I'm tired all the time and actually work out less.  I don't even remember the last time I did a serious set of sit ups or any type of weight training.  I don't have a single marathon planned for this year and for once I'm okay with that decision.  I know I can't run a marathon this fall because of the kitchen renovation.  I imagine my weekends in the summer and fall are going to be filled with kitchen related items and being tired all the time isn't going to work well with that process. Plus, I turn 30 this year and this is going to sound crazy, but I need to work out more and get in shape.  Running isn't cutting it anymore and I need to get myself back in shape.
• Start a family. BAM! Putting that one out there.  The reason I need to get in shape this year is because after the kitchen is done the hubs and I hope to try to start a family.  We've put this off more than once and the time has come to stop putting it off anymore. I'll be on the wrong side of 30 come next month, so getting in shape is key if the hubs and I decide to try to have a baby the old fashioned way.  Now, I don't know what starting a family means just yet because we still haven't fully decided if we want to adopt first or try to have a biological child first. We're a split household on that decision, so only time will tell. 

That's a pretty tall list if you ask me!  Here is goes 2013. Let's do this thing! 

2012 Recap

It's that time of the year.  Time to look in the review mirror to assess 2012 and then start to think of resolutions and goals for 2013.

I reconnected with my little, ol' blog in 2012 and posted more in one year than I ever had before.  Along the way I made a few blogger buddies and I'm so happy to have connected with others.  I still don't have a central focus on this blog and I hope that's okay with you because it's just fine with me.

Looking back here are my most viewed posts of the year, as well as the posts that meant the most to me.  Thanks for sticking around.  Plenty more to come in 2013.

Top Viewed Posts of 2012

#3 Line Entertainment Center Shelves With Wrapping Paper: Why didn't I think of this sooner?

I'll be honest, this probably wasn't the best title for a post, but it got the point across.  This post reaffirmed to me that I need to post more of my decorating projects because while I may not be Martha Stewart I do come up with a cool thing or two every now and then.  Expect to see a ton of more decorating posts in the future.  The hubs and I are making progress on our house and we're getting to the point where I can start to share more images of the house. 

#2 Window Shopping at the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale 

I think this post received so many reviews because I name-dropped serious eye candy pieces.  One of my biggest referencing search terms was "Tory Burch Horsebit Satchel," which means most people came across my window shopping post because they were trying to find the satchel.  That's my bad.  

#1 Summertime Staple: Jack and Coke Slushies 

Not going to lie, but this post was one of my absolute favorites.  Those Jack and Coke slushies have become a staple in my house and among my friends.  I even mass-produced these bad boys for our second annual pig roast and they were a huge hit.  Since making these slushies I've updated my winter drink repertoire to include frozen coffee and Bailey's. It seems I'm mildly obsessed with frozen alcoholic beverages. :) 

My Favorite Posts of the Year:  These can't be put into any type of numerical order

First 5k with the family (PRs included) 

Two of my main loves in my life are my family and running.  Combining the two was just the proverbial icing on the cake.  

Just wait, little nephew... I'm coming for you :) 

Where does the time go? 

I celebrated quite a few birthdays this year with some amazing friends and family, but the one that stuck out the most was celebrating a cool kid's first birthday.  I don't know if there's a greater sight in this world than witnessing the absolute joy in a child's face as they mash a cake, jump in a bouncy castle, or pretty much just run around like a crazy person.  

5 Years Later: Me and you and you and me

This past year was a great one for the relationship I have with my husband. We celebrated our 10 year dating anniversary and our 5 year wedding anniversary.  If I had to pick one of the other I'd go with our wedding anniversary because it was a day surrounded by 80 of our closest friends, family, and a pig!  Our wedding wasn't anything over the top, but our marriage is stuff of fairy tales in my mind.  

All of the credit for my blissful marriage goes to my hubs.  He doesn't put up with my crazy, he embraces it.  He has the near perfect balance between having my back and calling me out when I'm being unreasonable.  I don't know how to explain it and that's what makes it magical.  

He is the most patient, kind, loving, supportive, and most importantly - funny person I've ever met. 

He's not just my hubs, he's my life partner. Ever since our wedding we haven't gone a day without saying, "I love you" to each other and meaning it. 

Thanks for stopping by!

See you later 2012. Bring it on 2013.  

I hope you all have a Happy New Year wherever you celebrate it.